Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Friday, Jan. 7 echoed President Duterte’s appeal to the public to get vaccinated once eligible and continue complying with the public health protocols amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
“Umaapela ako sa mga awtoridad na bilisan pa ang pagbabakuna sa lahat ng mga eligible na sektor, lalo na iyong mga itinuturing na 'poorest of the poor', (upang) mabigyan ng kaukulang proteksyon ang ating mga kwalipikadong mamamayan at tuluyang makabalik na tayo sa normal na pamumuhay oras na makamit natin ang herd immunity (I am appealing to the authorities to speed up the vaccination to all the eligible sector, especially those we consider as the ‘poorest of the poor,’ in order to provide them with the appropriation protection so we could go back to our normal way of living once we have achieved the herd immunity),” he said.
Go, chairman of the Senate Health committee, emphasized that despite the rise in COVID-19 cases, data show that vaccines work by preventing severe symptoms and death.
Hence, he urged unvaccinated individuals to take this opportunity to protect themselves before it is too late.
“Karamihan sa pinakagrabeng tinamaan at namamatay dahil sa COVID-19 ay hindi bakunado, ayon sa datos ng DOH (Majority of those severely hit and died because of COVID-19 were unvaccinated, according to the DOH data),” he said.
On January 6, the Department of Health (DOH) logged 17,220 additional cases of COVID-19. It also reported 29 new Omicron variant cases, including 19 local cases from Metro Manila, raising the nationwide total to 43.
“Ang paglaban sa pandemya ay responsibilidad nating lahat at hindi lamang ng gobyerno, kaya gawin natin ang ating parte upang tuluyan na nating malampasan ang krisis na ito (The fight against the pandemic is the responsibility of all of us and not of the government alone, therefore, we have to do our part so we could fully overcome this crisis),” Go emphasized.
The senator from Davao pointed out that the vaccines, coupled with discipline and faithful observance of health protocols, are still the best line of defense against the virus.
“Ayon sa huling advisory ng DOH, 85% sa mga COVID-19 patients sa mga ospital ng DOH sa Metro Manila na nangangailangan ng intensive care ay mga hindi pa bakunado. Kaya kung naririyan na sa ating harapan ang oportunidad, magpabakuna na tayo (According to the latest advisory of DOH, 85% of COVID-19 patients in DOH hospitals in Metro Manila that need intensive care are unvaccinated. Since the opportunity is here, let us get ourselves vaccinated),” urged Go.
The lawmaker praised the country’s aggressive vaccine drive but reiterated the importance of abiding by the health protocols even after getting vaccinated to prevent more transmissions and protect those who are vulnerable to the disease, including healthcare workers.
“Inuulit ko ang aking panawagan sa lahat: bakunado man o hindi, sundin ang lahat ng mga itinakdang health protocols, katulad ng pagsuot ng mask, pag-obserba sa social distancing, palaging paghugas ng kamay at pag-iwas na lumabas ng bahay kung hindi naman kinakailangan (As chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, let me reiterate my call on everybody: vaccinated or not, follow all the issued health protocoils, such as the wearing of mask, observe social distancing, frequent washing of hands and stay at home),” he reminded.
As of January 5, the government has administered nearly 110.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Some 51.1 million individuals are fully vaccinated while 57.3 million have received their first dose. In addition, 2.5 million have obtained their booster shots.
“Huwag na nating sayangin ang naging sakripisyo natin sa nakaraang halos dalawang taon. Konting tiis at patuloy lang tayong makiisa sa gobyerno at magmalasakit sa kapwa. Malalampasan din natin itong pinakabagong hamon bilang isang mas matatag na bansa (Let us not waste our sacrifices this past two years. Just a litte patience and let us continue cooperating with the government and be compassionate to your fellow men. We will overcome this new challenge as a more stable nation),” Go said.
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